MORRISTOWN, NJ – It was a pitcher’s duel Tuesday afternoon in the battle between  Morristown and Morris Hills until the late innings when the Scarlet Knights pulled ahead to win  5-2.  

The makings of a low scoring affair were evident early as the game remained scoreless through  the first two innings of play. Morristown broke the ice in the bottom of the third when Jenna  Manahan walked to lead off the frame and came around the score on an RBI groundout by  Shelby Shay. 

Staked to a narrow 1-0 lead, Morristown right-hander Callie Volker was dominating from the  circle. After Morristown scored, Volker sat down six of the next seven batters as the Colonials  carried their one-run lead into the top of the 6th.  

Morris Hills was able to tie the game with an RBI groundout of their own before Leah Scalzo  launched a solo home run to give the Scarlet Knight their first lead of the game at 2-1 with six  outs left to get.  

After Morristown was unable to score in the bottom half of the 6th, Morris Hills tacked on some  insurance runs in the top of the 7th. The Scarlet Knights scored a run on a sacrifice bunt and an  error and added two more runs on a Lyla Zusi two-run homer for Morris Hills’ second home run  in as many innings. Up 5-1, Morristown added a run courtesy of Shay double but were never  really threatened Morris Hills in the bottom half of the inning.  

Tuesday afternoon marked the second straight game in which the Morristown offense struggled  after a 3-1 loss to Mount Olive on April 20. Despite the three combined runs in two games, the  Colonials have shown through the first month of the season that they do have the capability to be 

a potent offense – as evidenced by their 9 and 10 run performances against Mendham and  Chatham, respectively.  

“I think we are not choosing our pitch selection too well,” Morristown head coach Carly  Minerowicz said of the Colonials’ recent offensive output. “The [Morris Hills pitcher] today had  a really good rise and we could not connect with it and she got us with it a lot. I think we have to  tweak some things at the plate and be a little bit more aware of our pitch selection and be a little  bit more on top and level through our swings. I have seen the potential with this group and I  know what they can do offensively so I have no doubt that we will bounce back.” 

At 4-6, Morristown is scheduled to play Morris Knolls on Thursday afternoon before the Morris  County Tournament gets underway this weekend. With their position in the bracket to be  determined Tuesday night, Minerowicz is optimistic that her squad will be able to make some  noise no matter their seeding. 

“I think the seedings are all up in the air right now,” “There are a lot of people in the middle of  the road. We are going to give all we have and work to make it through.”

Author : Charles DeLuca

Source Url : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/morristown/sections/sports/articles/morristown-softball-colonials-drop-second-straight-in-loss-to-morris-hills

News Source : https://www.tapinto.net/towns/morristown/sections/sports/articles/morristown-softball-colonials-drop-second-straight-in-loss-to-morris-hills